History

History of First English Lutheran Church

Lutherans, who lived in Whitewater in the 1840’s, attended church in Skoponong (Palmyra) and Heart Prairie. Due to the difficulty of travel, early services were held in Bower’s Hall on Center Street and in a schoolhouse in Library Park, where the Birge fountain stands. The official life of the congregation began December 8, 1858 as the Norwegian Lutheran Church of Whitewater, Walworth County. In 1868, a church was built at 418 E. Cravath Street. This served the congregation until 1908 when the current church site at 401 W Main was acquired from the Baptists who had built the church in 1886. Until 1907, Norwegian was the primary language used in the services. Extensive internal modifications completed in 1928. From 1858 until 1932, the church was served by pastors who also served the congregations of Skoponong, Heart Prairie and Sugar Creek. At that point, the size of the Whitewater congregation had grown to require its own pastor. In 1937, the name of the church was changed to First English Lutheran. In 1948, the congregation of Heart Prairie merged into First English. During the summer months, services are conducted at the church by Whitewater Lake, which was built in about 1854. The continued growth of the congregation required an addition to the church that was completed in 1950. A second major addition to the church was completed in 2004.